Mapping applications are commonly used in smartphones and other mobile computing devices. Typically, a mapping application requests map information from a mapping service, then presents a graphical representation of the map information. Within a mapping application, a user can view various types of maps (e.g., street view, aerial view), search for an address, search for a specific location, search for a type of location, retrieve directions to reach a location, view traffic conditions, or perform another navigation-related action.
While mapping application are useful for performing navigation-related actions, in many cases, they cannot perform more complicated tasks that incorporate other, non-navigation actions. For example, a user might (1) use a Web browser to find a location, (2) open a mapping application to get map information and directions to the location, (3) open another application to read a review about the location, (4) open a telephone application to call a business at the location, and then (5) open a messaging application to share information about the location with a friend. When switching between applications, the user often has to copy relevant information (e.g., address, name of business, telephone number) from one application to another in order to use that information in the other application. Thus, to complete a complicated series of actions, the user finds an application suitable for an action, starts the application, copies information, and performs the action, then continues with the next application for the next action, and so on, until the series of actions is completed. Aside from the number of steps, the user switches between different contexts, which can be confusing and result in loss of information.
An application such as a Web browser or software-based personal assistant can “host” a map. In this case, the map is presented in the application's screen area. For example, the application requests map information from a mapping service, then graphically presents the map information in part of its screen area. In many cases, actions that relate to a location in the map (e.g., getting directions, calling a telephone number, sharing the location) are not exposed to the user by the application. As a result, switching to other applications adds steps for the user (to launch the other applications, copy information between applications, and perform the actions). In a few cases, an application such as a Web browser or software-based personal assistant can expose location-related actions to the user, but the actions are presented in an application-specific way. Location-related actions are not presented in a consistent way from application to application. Thus, the user experience is not consistent between applications, which can be confusing to a user.